Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, my question is to the First Minister (Mr. Filmon). Last Friday, his Minister of Health was quoted as saying, in dealing with the Home Oxygen Program, that they had no studies and they, in fact, did not know the cost issues related to the decision to privatize the Home Oxygen Program.

On Saturday, after we had tabled one study in this Legislature, the minister admitted that there were at least three studies that the government had conducted on the decision on Home Oxygen Therapy programs, and given the fact that in this House before we have had cover-up after cover-up of reports dealing with privatization and establishing profit in the health care system witnessed last year in home care, I would like to ask the Premier to stop the secrecy, stop the cover-up and order his Minister of Finance (Mr. Stefanson) and his Minister of Health to table all relevant reports in this Legislature on behalf of Manitobans.

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Health): First of all, there is no cover-up, Madam Speaker. There is no hiding. The report that the member for Concordia tabled in this House, or bits and pieces from it, was an analysis that was done by one individual in 1993 that did not include all of the costs and, quite frankly, was dismissed by the department.

The other report that he referred to, Madam Speaker, estimated the cost of providing the care in the private sector with no particular analysis at $1,500 per unit. In sorting this out, in going to tender, we brought that cost in at--I believe it is around $1,050 approximately per client, which is well under, or under any projections or actual costs. The taxpayers save money; the consumer now gets a service--what was provided by two providers, now provided by one.

The Leader of the Opposition is just wrong in his analysis.

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, I asked the Premier to table the information, the analysis, so all Manitobans will know what the facts and figures are. What is the government afraid of? That is the real question.

Madam Speaker, on Friday the Minister of Health in Hansard stated: The prime issue is one of service.

I would like to table a letter from the Manitoba Association of Registered Respiratory Therapists, wherein they conclude that they are profoundly disappointed at the process that was used by the government to arrive at the decision to tender out the home oxygen process to the Rimer Alco company. I would like to ask the Premier why, again, do we see the government going against their own health care experts and putting the quality of patient care at risk with the ideologically extreme position that this government is taking on home oxygen therapy services.

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Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, again, to the Leader of the Opposition, I think he overexaggerates considerably this whole situation. He came to this House telling us that it would cost $1,500, $2,000, $3,000 per patient with respect to oxygen. The tendered price came in at $1,050. That is why, in fact, in sorting things out, with often a lot of different information from a lot of different sources, what clearly sorted this issue out was the fact that we did go to a tendering process, which ensures, I think, a better service and a reasonable cost.

In the small areas in the health care system we have done and tested that. He certainly cannot say we are privatizing the system. In fact, as we move to a more centralized organization in governance, I would suggest we are going just in the opposite direction.

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Again, the First Minister (Mr. Filmon) did not answer the question.

We want all documents, evaluations and studies tabled before all Manitobans because we found when the government said they did not have the Connie Curran report on home care, they were not telling us the truth. We found before when they said they did not have an advisory committee report on home care services, it had recommended the government's extreme position. On page 4 of one of the government's studies, they say that we had been required--the government health care department--to do the evaluation due to the lobbying efforts by private oxygen suppliers.

I would like to ask the Premier is this decision to proceed with the privatization of home oxygen services on the basis of patient care, on the basis of advice from health care professionals or is it their own extreme ideological position based on lobbying from private profit oxygen firms.

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, I am somewhat amazed at the question from the Leader of the Opposition. After listening to members of the New Democratic Party last week defending the large oxygen interests in this country and the situation where Canadians and Manitobans were overcharged for oxygen and attacking a company that in the oxygen business has brought a great competitive force and reduced the cost of oxygen in the hospitals with concentrators by 34 percent, to hear them today asking that question seems a bit inconsistent.

Madam Speaker, this is not a case of putting anyone at risk. We had two places for people to contact: one to get their equipment from government, one previously a private supplier of oxygen. This has been amalgamated into one service, which is much better, I think, for the users, and it has come in at a very competitive, economical price, well below the estimated cost that the Leader of the Opposition suggested in this House.

Ms. Marianne Cerilli (Radisson): Madam Speaker, we have tabled a letter that showed that this home care oxygen contract was tendered with no criteria set out to ensure patient care. It is obvious with this government, in privatizing health care, it means that standards for patient care are out the window.

I want to ask the minister why the registered respiratory therapists were first asked to appoint someone to be part of their steering committee to provide expertise on home oxygen supply but the contract was then tendered and awarded without input from that profession to develop the criteria to ensure patient care.

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, first of all, the committee that reviewed the proposals that came in did separate a number of companies that they felt were not able to fulfill the quality requirements, and their bids, I understand, were not even opened. They concluded that there were in fact two companies that could complete this contract.

What I would suggest we have here is a lot of people with their own particular piece of interest in this area pursuing it, and if that were the case, we would never make any decisions in government.

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): A point of order, Madam Speaker, the Minister of Health is impugning motives to the respiratory therapists of Manitoba. I think that is very, very unprofessional of him, and I ask him to withdraw it.

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Madam Speaker: I will take the point of order raised by the Leader of the official opposition under advisement and report back so I can review the context in which the words were said in Hansard.

Mr. Praznik: Madam Speaker, with respect to the specific concerns in this letter, I will check out their concerns with respect to the process and what others understood it to be.

But let me say to members, in all of these issues there are so many people and groups that have a particular role--and I do not say that to be disparaging of them or to impute motives--but as Minister of Health, as critics of Health, we continually get conflicting views from different health care providers, professionals, in the system--and I know the member for Wellington (Ms. Barrett) implies that she knows all about this, Madam Speaker. We know between the medical profession and nurses there is a dispute as to who should be providing what services. Ultimately, the responsibility falls on us in government, in a publicly funded one-payer system, to make these decisions.

Ms. Cerilli: Madam Speaker, I want the minister to explain why it is he first asked for the expertise of respiratory technologists on this committee and then issued the contract without their input in criteria to protect the health and the safety of the patients in Manitoba that use the services.

Why did they not include the respiratory technologists in setting the criteria for the health of Manitobans?

Mr. Praznik: Madam Speaker, I am not quite sure what the member is asking. If she is asking why this committee was not asked to set the standards by which they were to judge the--I will have to check on it, I was not minister at the time. I was not involved in the detail of that particular--

An Honourable Member: February 4.

Mr. Praznik: Well, the member refers to February 4. That is the date of the letter. This committee and this process has been on for some time. The member has seen minutes tabled from that committee, which her party has tabled, dated in December, when decisions were made with respect to the particular view of this organization. I have endeavoured in responding to their letter--I will check out the facts of what they are saying, but, Madam Speaker, there were more members of that committee than just one organization, and they did indicate that two companies had met the standards by which the contract was to be judged, and the lowest bidder was awarded the contract.

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): Madam Speaker, one of the lessons you learn from this government is that nothing is ever their responsibility. It is the civil servants, it is the weather, but it is never the government's responsibility, and the Minister of Education wants to blame the Brandon School Board for her own incompetence in learning nothing from last year's weather, from having no Plan B for a snowstorm in January in Manitoba and from learning little from other jurisdictions who have well-administered and fair exams. Would the minister tell the House whether she is seriously considering disbanding the Brandon School Board for mistakes that she made?

Hon. Linda McIntosh (Minister of Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I should just correct some of the preamble, because we have written eight exams so far in Manitoba and we have adopted, in consultation with the field, a policy that indicated that where provincial exams were not written, divisional exam results would apply. That was in place and has been in place in consultation with the field and accepted by the field. It is also the policy that is in place in other jurisdictions such as Alberta, et cetera. But this year, indeed, we did have some very unusual circumstances in that 19.5 percent of the students could not write. Therefore, we made accommodations in the way we display marks this year only, and next year we will have backup exams.

Madam Speaker, in terms of Brandon, I have indicated that I have not yet made a decision as to how Brandon should be dealt with for having passed a motion intending to break the law rather than work with me to resolve any anomalies that come up, but the papers have correctly reported the alternatives available to the minister, most of which I have said that I do not favour as being the alternative I would select.

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Ms. Friesen: Madam Speaker, would the minister withdraw the offensive remark she was quoted as having made to the Winnipeg Sun, that the Brandon School Division is essentially looking for ways to hide their students' marks, and acknowledge that the Brandon School Division in fact made specific criticisms of only one exam, has offered teachers for marking exams and has frequently been commended by the minister for their co-operation with New Directions?

Mrs. McIntosh: Madam Speaker, I am not going to comment on how I am quoted in the paper except to say this. It is very clear that Brandon School Division wrote to me the last day of February, a letter that arrived on my desk on March 4, and three days later, without checking to see if I had already begun work on the situation, which I had, passed a motion stating that they would ignore the results.

I was not informed of that motion--media reported that to me--until last week Brandon confirmed that they had indeed passed such a motion, a motion to essentially ignore the marks rather than deal with the problem. That is just fact. It is not a negative statement or a positive statement; it is just a reflection of what happened.

Ms. Friesen: Would the minister make a commitment to the House that in considering her response to the Brandon School Board she will maintain the integrity of an elected board of citizens whose only act has been to challenge the minister's own mistakes?

Mrs. McIntosh: Madam Speaker, I was very clear in my comments to the press that there was a range of options the minister could consider when a school board knowingly violates provincial law. I also made it very clear that of the one option available, which has been used in British Columbia, an NDP province, to disband the board was, yes, legally something that could be considered but was not the alternative I preferred because of the fact that the board has been duly elected. So stating what is allowable and what I feel about what is allowable are two different things.

I have to indicate as well that Brandon's mistake, as the member puts it, was that they only criticized my mistake is wrong. Brandon made a motion based upon the fact that they felt 40 percent of the students had not written the exam because of poor weather. That was an erroneous assumption not checked out by the Brandon board. The member may wish to review the tape to confirm that. They were not sure that it was 40 percent, but they thought it was 40 percent. Therefore, they drew conclusions on that, made a motion to break the law based upon erroneous assumptions. A motion should not have been made in any event, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): Madam Speaker, after 10 years of Tory management the emergency room situation in Winnipeg is worse than ever, and we have more diversions now on a regular basis than any other time in the history of the province. The new mantra from the minister is we will wait till the new regional board is set up and that will solve all the problems.

Madam Speaker, we have waited through six reports. We have waited through three ministers. We have waited through promise after promise with respect to emergency wards. Will the minister outline today and take some responsibility for the situation in Winnipeg and outline what specific steps he will take to alleviate the crisis in emergency rooms in the city of Winnipeg?

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, as with all such issues, I think it is important to have one's facts straight in terms of the proper context. The member for Kildonan is correct when he talks about high numbers of diversions, but in terms of visits to our emergency wards, I am advised across the city that we are at or below the historical levels. In fact, in '94-95 Winnipeg averaged 732 visits per day, in '96-97 we are at 664 visits today. The problem is not in the emergency wards; it is in the availability of acute care beds.

By institution, Madam Speaker, we have beds available in some facilities and are tighter in others. That is part of why we need to have a centralized management of our facilities in Winnipeg, in order to be able to move and accommodate patients with space and facilities so that the pressure is not there. But that is, I am advised, the genesis behind this particular problem.

Mr. Chomiak: I am happy to hear the minister say that.

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): Will the minister not agree with the comments of the president of Victoria Hospital who said bed shortages and the cutbacks of this government--my words now--are the responsibility of this government? Will the minister not agree that the central bed registry has been promised since 1993, in fact, 1991, and in the Lerner report, the report recommended it could be set up in six months? Now it is 1997, and all we get is words and no action from this Premier (Mr. Filmon).

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Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Health): I would agree with the member for Kildonan that the need to be able to have a registry or system in place is an important one. I know in the transition from the previous minister that was one of the frustrations he expressed to me. Part of the difficulty is that we are dealing with seven corporate bodies, each with its own view and negotiation and struggling to get these things together. That is why ultimately bringing these decisions under the direct authority of the Winnipeg Hospital Authority, quite frankly, does away with those kinds of problems.

I am expecting very, very shortly, as we make those appointments, for that process to be able to act quickly to resolve that issue, which I would agree with him is a long-standing matter.

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): I will table a letter from the minister dated October 5, 1995, where it says an integrated plan in emergency wards will be promised for Winnipeg by January 1, 1996, signed by the former minister. How can we have any confidence in this minister, who now tells us it is going to come under the auspices of a new regional board, when the government has failed to live up to every one of its commitments with respect to emergency wards and failed to take any responsibility for its part in creating this crisis?

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Health): The member for Kildonan has flagged, and I would argue, rightly flagged, a criticism of the system as it now operates. One of the great frustrations my predecessor the member for Brandon West (Mr. McCrae) had and, Madam Speaker, that I have experienced in the last few months in working towards the establishment of the Winnipeg Hospital Authority is there is a great deal of reluctance within many in the existing system, not all, to give up the kind of autonomy and authority in running their institutions that are needed to make this happen.

Madam Speaker, quite frankly, what we are looking for under this new Winnipeg Hospital Authority is a centralization of management, of finances, of moving programs. I would argue very strongly, we need to have a centralized employing authority so that we can move people and teams across the system rather than get into these silly situations where we can be laying off people and hiring in other facilities. Getting the Winnipeg Hospital Authority in place is absolutely critical to achieving this result.

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education.

Last Friday we celebrated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and there were events virtually throughout the weekend. In fact, today we have the B'nai Brith of Canada which is going to be having a symposium on racism and hate in the home, school and the community.

Madam Speaker, there has been a lack of commitment from this government over the years to combat racism. I would ask the Minister of Education, specifically, that one of the recommendations from the Manitoba Intercultural Council is that the Department of Education provide training to every teacher in Manitoba by the end of the coming year in dealing with racist incidents in the school, and that was back in 1990. My question to the minister is can she give us an update as to what they have actually done.

Hon. Linda McIntosh (Minister of Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I should indicate that I think, first and foremost, the most important thing that we have been doing is the drafting of new curricula, which is currently underway and has been in some subject areas for a couple of years now. Threaded throughout our curricula in all subjects are, wherever possible, designated concern and identification of issues regarding racism, regarding gender, regarding sustainable development and a couple of other initiatives that we have identified as very important to the whole basis of education. So you will see that threaded through all curricula, and you can see that coming down now as well in curricula that is already starting to come into the schools. I think that is the most important thing we have done.

As well, in terms of our aboriginal population, Madam Speaker, we have put in place a number of initiatives, which I will continue in my next answer because of the time limitations here.

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, the supplementary question actually goes to the Minister responsible for Culture and Heritage.

Another recommendation was the one-day cross-cultural course for the MLAs. The question specific to the minister is--the government has now had eight years--why has it failed to act on that particular recommendation to provide all MLAs a cross-cultural awareness day.

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Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship): Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to acknowledge the work that was done during the week for the elimination of racism and also the day, which was on Friday, which the United Nations recognizes.

My department has participated in a large number of efforts across government, and that appears to be one in which we need to look for an opportunity and agreement by all MLAs in their willingness to participate. However, my department has in fact provided a number of opportunities across government to recognize the importance of making sure that we eliminate racism.

I was also very pleased, Madam Speaker, to participate in a number of community events starting more than a week ago across this province and in joint participation in recognition of the importance to eliminate racism.

Mr. Gary Kowalski (The Maples): Madam Speaker, my question arises out of the gang strategy session held this past weekend where there was unanimous agreement from the provincial Minister of Justice (Mr. Toews), the Justice critic for the official opposition and myself on the important work done by the 70 youth justice committees in Manitoba and the importance of training for those sessions.

I would like to table an agenda of previous training sessions that were done February 8, 1992, and May 26, 1993. When will we see the types of training sessions that were depicted in these in Manitoba again?

Hon. Darren Praznik (Acting Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Madam Speaker, being reluctant to rise any more often than necessary, obviously this is a very important issue to the Attorney General and to all members of the Assembly, and I will take the question as notice on behalf of the Attorney General.

Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan River): Madam Speaker, the Minister of Environment has said I am being mischievous when I raise the issue of wastes from the L-P plant being dumped in sensitive areas. I want to assure this government that I am raising this issue because many people in the Swan River Valley are very concerned, particularly those people who live downstream of the sites.

Will the minister confirm that, although he says it is okay to use this waste for livestock bedding, permission has not been approved by the Department of Environment for this material to be spread on agriculture lands and what is happening is not legal?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Environment): Madam Speaker, if this is the member's best attempt at an apology for the mischief from last week, I think the people involved in this matter would expect something a little more sincere than that from the honourable member. I know the honourable member has made her position very clear about this particular project, and she tries to do whatever she can to be consistent with her initial position.

My position, on the other hand, is to see that our environment is protected and that the regulations are carried forward. If there is a gap in regulation about what one can or cannot do and it is an issue that should be looked at, that should be done.

The regulations call for certain things not to be done and we want to ensure that happens. If there is some other issue that needs to be raised, then it ought to be raised in the appropriate manner but not through the grandstanding techniques of the honourable member.

Ms. Wowchuk: Madam Speaker, shame on this Minister of Environment. He is supposed to be protecting our environment.

Since the minister said that he was sending out staff, can the minister confirm how many sites his staff found where waste was being dumped and not being used as livestock bedding but, in fact, was being dumped in sensitive areas that were not approved by the Department of Environment?

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, I do not have a report on the number of sites. I expect, however, that that number is extremely small, and my department advises me that where that has been happening the corrective action has been taken. The honourable member's videotape performance of last week needs further review.

Ms. Wowchuk: Since the minister has now admitted that he is wrong, will he agree to come to Swan River and view first-hand the many sites, well over 20 sites, where this waste is being dumped, and will he meet with the public in Swan River and explain why he is so weak in protecting the water resources in our area?

Mr. McCrae: I would be pleased, Madam Speaker, when I am able to do so, to visit and have a look around the sites the honourable member refers to. It would be nice, however, if when she makes allegations and has information to back them up or information that she can make available, and when she is asked for it by the department, it would be very nice and very reasonable I suggest for the honourable member to make that information available.

Ms. Wowchuk: On a point of order, Madam Speaker, the minister says that it would be nice if I informed the Department of Environment. I would have him know, if he would check the record, I called the Department of Environment on February 12 and no action came.

It is not my responsibility to identify the sites. It is his department's responsibility to go out and check and protect the environment.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Swan River does not have a point of order. It is clearly a dispute over the facts.

An Honourable Member: Madam Speaker, you have ruled. I was going to contribute to the point of order.

Madam Speaker: I am sorry. Okay.

Recently, CP Rail has laid off some 250 Manitoba employees, occurring in February of this year and again just two weeks ago laid off another 10 employees. Many of these laid-off workers could have performed the cleanup work for that Windsor Park wreck that occurred over the weekend.

I want to ask the Minister of Labour to advise is it appropriate or even legal for CP Rail or any other railway operating in this province to lay off its Manitoba rail workers and then contract out this work to U.S. workers that were called in to do this wreck cleanup work.

Hon. Harold Gilleshammer (Minister of Labour): I know that the federal Department of Labour is working with the railway companies on some of these issues. I do believe, however, that a private sector company does make decisions on their workforce from time to time and we are not privy to the basis for those decisions, but I know that CP Rail has been a good corporate citizen within the province of Manitoba. I am sure that they are working with the federal Department of Labour on a number of these issues.

Mr. Reid: Does this Minister of Labour support the federal minister who said that by allowing CP Rail to come in with U.S. workers to do this work, supplanting Canadian workers, that it will have no labour market impact? Does this Minister of Labour support the federal Liberal minister who said this in a recent letter?

Mr. Gilleshammer: I am sure the member is going to table the letter. I am not sure in what context the federal minister made these statements, but I can tell the member and the House that our department and our government is pleased to work with any of these companies when it comes to solving some of the problems within our province.

An Honourable Member: Table it.

Mr. Reid: I will table it for the minister's information. Can this Minister of Labour--[interjection] It is a fax sheet and you can have it if you want.

I want to ask this minister a final supplementary question.

Does this Minister of Labour and this government support allowing the railways to lay off Canadian workers and to bring in U.S. workers to do the work, whether it be in wreck cleanup or other work, and will this minister investigate how these U.S. workers got visas to come into Canada to do this work?

Mr. Gilleshammer: Madam Speaker, I will look at the correspondence that the honourable member has tabled. I know that our government has a fine track record in working with all corporations within the province to resolve some of these issues. There are times when emergencies do exist when companies have to make decisions on very short notice, but I will be pleased to look at the information the member has tabled.

Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): On at least five separate occasions since June 1, 1992, this government has promised a full-time youth care worker training program at Red River Community College and as recently as June 26, 1995, the current Minister of Family Services indicated that the program could be up and operational by January of 1996.

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Since the Youth Secretariat, the Children's Advocate, the government's own Independent Review of Reporting Procedures in Children's Residential Care Facilities, the Child and Youth Care Workers Association of Manitoba, both associations of the operators of residential settings, and Red River Community College support a two-year program, is there any reason why this government does not want people working with high risk youth to be trained in basic full-time training?

Hon. Bonnie Mitchelson (Minister of Family Services): I thank my honourable friend for that question. Yes, we have been working very diligently. There are issues surrounding the youth care worker program and detail that still needs to be examined. We will continue to work on that among departments within our government.

Mr. Martindale: Can the Minister of Family Services tell the House why she has been promising this full-time program at Red River, and her government since 1992, and now gives the excuse that there are details that need to be worked on? It has been in the Estimates for the last two years. What is stopping this government from implementing this program as soon as possible?

Mrs. Mitchelson: I thank again my honourable friend for that question. I will indicate to him, when we are prepared to announce training programs right across government for different initiatives, we will make those announcements.

Ms. Diane McGifford (Osborne): Madam Speaker, I have a letter of resignation from the Public Library Advisory Board that I would like to table. This letter charges that the composition and workings of the board violate in many ways The Public Libraries Act and the recommendations of the previous Public Library Advisory Board and that the board's composition make it virtually impossible for the board to apply to the Carnegie Foundation for funding. We also know that recent budget cuts will make the board's work even more difficult.

To the Minister of Culture: I would like to ask the minister if she will now comply with The Libraries Act and the recommendations of the previous Public Library Advisory Board and appoint a proper Public Library Advisory Board.

Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship): When individuals make a decision to resign, I think one of the most important things to do first of all is to thank them for the time that they have put in when they have served on these boards and where they express concerns and to take a look at them seriously and to investigate them. When I receive a resignation, that is exactly what I am doing, I am looking at issues which have been raised; I am looking forward to meeting with representatives of that board.

But I do not think it should remain on the record any question of our government's commitment because I know the member knows that our government has had a strong commitment to libraries across this province in a number of ways, and I would not want that to remain on the record to muddy the waters of the concern that she has raised.

Ms. McGifford: Madam Speaker, what should remain on the record are the violations of the act.

Will the minister now appoint a professional board, which is necessary in order to access Carnegie Foundation funds, which in turn could finance public consultations which are necessary to produce a current Public Libraries Act?

Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Speaker, the member across the way, as other members of her party, has brought allegations occasionally to this House not complete. So I do not accept what the member has attempted to put on the record in terms of the board, any of those allegations. However, what I did commit to, what I commit to individuals who write, individuals who also make a decision after some time to resign from certain boards, is to look very carefully at the issues which they raise.

Our government, Madam Speaker, has continued a major commitment towards libraries, towards accessibility to materials within libraries, and I will be dealing with issues as they relate to the board very shortly. I am looking at arranging meetings. So I understand that is the important part of the question. That is the part that I will be dealing with.

Ms. Diane McGifford (Osborne): Madam Speaker, since the 1994 strategic plan, the Future of Public Libraries, is gathering dust and this government is cutting library funds, I wonder if the minister would tell us what steps she is going to take to modernize The Public Libraries Act.

Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship): Madam Speaker, again I reject the information that the member has put on by way of a preamble. I do not believe that she is accurate in her facts.

We will have the process of Estimates. I look forward to that opportunity to discuss with the member across the way, again exactly what this government has put in in terms of the increase of funding which has occurred over the time that our government has been in power, the commitment that we have made in terms of electronic support to libraries, in terms of sharing of resources. There is in fact a great deal of support and a very good-news story to tell in terms of our libraries all across this province, the city of Winnipeg, the rest of Manitoba, and I look forward to taking the opportunity with the member across the way to correct her.

Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Government Services a question about the government computer contract. The tendering process has been narrowed to IBM and SHL, eliminating GE Capital and Powerland Computer, which is a local company.

When will the minister announce the successful bidder?

Hon. Frank Pitura (Minister of Government Services): Madam Speaker, in response to the question from the honourable member, I would just like to indicate that the process has been started to go through the proposals in detail. I would expect that in due course that announcement will be made.

Madam Speaker: Time for Oral Questions has expired.